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An endurance running group for @ReadingAc. Coached by the mighty Rob McKim whom without we would be nothing. From club, county & GB! #robsquad
Full squad profiles available here: therobsquad.net/thesquad

With a good 6.5 miles in my legs from a recovery run this evening after yesterday's Reading Half Marathon I search for the reason I was forced to have a 3 minute break at mile 9!

It transpires not running in your shoes prior to running a distance over 5km is not very sensible. That said, I can highly recommend the Nike Streak Flynits and looking forward to some more races!

Having raced around the world it is still hard to beat the fantastic crowds and athletes of Reading Half Marathon.

Our training group had a number of athletes aiming for top finishes with the highlights being a 4th place U23 finish for Tom Jervis in 70mins and 9th Female finish for Anna Boniface in 76mins (blog here).

I completed the distance in 84mins which is a good 6mins shy of my PB. My splits were on course for a mid 80min (6'06min/miles) finish but with the need to adjust shoes it was not to be. I must thank the kind spectator who attempted to unlace one of my shoes whilst I was sweating on her and the toddler trying to fill me with haribo! This really sums up the spirit of the race.

With the objective of this summer being track running it has been a huge confidence boost to have a firm base in my system to chase fast 800m times.

Mass participation events are a huge contribution to charity fundraising and it was a pleasure to support Hope Against Cancer yesterday. The motivation and story behind this can be found here and have raised almost £900.

April brings the London Marathon as the next key event for our training group and looking forward to more top finishes. If you like running or training we update our website regularly with insights here.

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“Cushioning not only protects your feet,” he says, “but also the rest of the chain, as the shock from the impact of each stride shoots up your leg. However, cushioning also absorbs energy, making you work harder to maintain your speed, so you don’t want too much cushioning.
Of course, we can’t borrow every shoe to test them out, but one trick Fitzpatrick suggests is trying your shoes on in a running shop in the afternoon, when your feet have swollen slightly from walking around in the day. During a marathon, your feet will expand and so tight shoes can cause problems. Fitzpatrick even suggests going for a run before trying your shoes out.
In order to try on some racing flats myself, and to garner some more expert advice, I head to the Running Works shop in London.